News 2/12

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1072961&format=text


C’s get 2nds helping
Davis, Powe give lift

By Mark Murphy | Tuesday, February 12, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics
In an NBA season when major trades are ruling the day, the Celtics [team stats] are still on record with the biggest - the two-trade flurry last summer that changed the face of the organization.

But big trades are only as solid as health will allow, and in that respect the Celtics go into tonight’s game against the Pacers on precarious footing.

Or so one would think, with Kevin Garnett set to miss his eighth straight game because of an abdominal strain and Kendrick Perkins [stats] out for a second straight game with a left shoulder strain.

But, as national announcer and former NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy said while watching the Celtics beat San Antonio without their two starting bigs, depth is where executives like Danny Ainge earn their money - especially where second-round picks are concerned.

That’s why the contributions of Glen Davis and Leon Powe, who combined for 14 points and 11 rebounds in addition to exemplary defense on Tim Duncan, stood out Sunday. Both players are second-rounders - neither considered a prototype for NBA power forwards.

But both are giving the Celtics enviable depth now. The team is 5-2 without Garnett, and expected to play on without him tonight as well as tomorrow against New York at TD Banknorth Garden.

As even Ainge admits, a team can only plan so much for injuries.

“That’s how it always is,” Ainge said yesterday. “When you’re missing key guys, that’s when you need others to fit in. But you never know.

“I think we knew that all of the guys we had on this roster could play,” he said. “But you never know how all of those players who can play are going to fit together. That’s why I think it’s a credit to Doc (Rivers) that he was able to bring everyone together so well.

“The character is great on this team,” said Ainge. “Not only do they all play together, but they play for each other.”

The biggest cheerleader in that respect is Garnett. He took players like Davis and Powe under his wing even before training camp started, and takes his rooting interest in both players seriously.

Indeed, big plays by Davis and Powe elicit jubilation on the bench - a rather unusual and even corny sight in the NBA.

And though Powe and Davis have been known to hammer each other in practice - on at least one occasion early in the season they had to be separated by teammates - they also seem to feed off each other.

“I think they want to perform for each other and live up to the standard that has been set by the other guys on the team,” said Ainge. “I know they’re second-round picks, but we knew that these guys could play. Gabe (Pruitt, another second-round pick) can play, too. When Rajon (Rondo) was out earlier this year, we really liked what we saw from Gabe out there.

“I think (Davis) and Leon are both guys just out there looking for an opportunity to play every day,” he said. “They root for each other. One day Baby has the big game, and the next it’s Leon. They’ve both been able to contribute.”

Neither could be making those contributions at a more important time.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/02/12/bench_is_a_seat_of_power?mode=PF

Bench is a seat of power
Celtics' reserves picking up slack
By Marc J. Spears, Globe Staff | February 12, 2008

One big question Celtics coach Doc Rivers had entering this season was how his bench would perform in a time of need. As of late, it has given him a positive response.

The Celtics are 5-2 in the seven games Kevin Garnett has missed with an abdominal strain. They defeated the reigning NBA champion Spurs, 98-90, Sunday without two starters (center Kendrick Perkins was out with a left shoulder strain). The bench is helping the team win now, and the Celtics are hoping it can be a bonus come playoff time, too.

"I didn't know about our bench, so everything was a question mark," Rivers said. "It's funny. At the beginning of the year, I kept telling [the media] when they weren't playing that Glen Davis is going to help us, [Leon] Powe is going to help us. And they are helping us."

With Powe and Brian Scalabrine starting, the bench had 32 points, 17 rebounds, 9 assists, and 6 steals in the win over the Spurs. Entering the game, the bench was averaging 40.6 points, 15.8 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 3.6 steals, with a 48.7 3-point shooting percentage in the previous five contests, according to hoopsstats.com.

"We don't talk about [injuries] a lot," Rivers said. "We don't sit and hold a vigil or anything.

"We didn't tell Leon he was starting until he walked out on the floor doing the walkthrough. We just said, 'Leon, you're at 5.' We try not to make a big deal of it, because if we do, they will."

What stands out is that more than one or two guys are stepping up.

For example, Davis had 9 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals and played great defense against Tim Duncan in the fourth quarter Sunday, while James Posey played everything from small forward to center. Powe hit a buzzer-beating putback for an 88-86 win at Minnesota last Friday. During a 111-100 win over the Clippers Feb. 6, the bench scored 25 of 27 points in the fourth quarter and 44 points overall. Off the bench, Powe scored a career-high 25 and sharpshooter Eddie House added 20 in a 117-87 win at Miami Jan. 29 while usual reserve Tony Allen had 20 points, 6 assists, and 2 steals as a starter with Ray Allen out with the flu.

"The bench has been what has been getting us these wins, I believe," Paul Pierce said. "The starters are getting off to OK starts. But it's in the second quarter that the bench comes in and really gets the job done. They keep the lead, get the lead, or do something defensively to turn the game around."

Said Rivers, "I'd rather not have the injuries. But since you have them, for us, it allows our bench players to play more minutes. San Antonio, Detroit, Cleveland, they kind of know what they have. We still don't know, so any of those types of games are good for us."

Possibly the biggest surprise about the bench is the scoring. Tony Allen (20), Davis (20), House (20), and Powe (25) have all reached season highs since January. House is averaging a bench-best 8 points per game and shooting 42.9 percent from 3-point range; Posey is averaging 7.1 points and 4.3 rebounds; and Tony Allen is averaging 6.5 points and shooting a team-best 44.1 percent from 3-point range.

Asked what his mentality is coming off the bench, Davis said, "Know my role and do something to help the team win."

Come playoff time, the role of the bench usually takes a dip. With television stretching out the schedule, there are more off-days, and even during games, TV timeouts mean more time for starters to rest. But with injuries and foul trouble always a possibility, the Celtics' bench is becoming more and more confident that it can pay dividends when needed.

"Guys are stepping up each and every night, new guys, and it's good for us that our young guys are more than willing to step up and having the chance to do it," Pierce said. "It's going to be really good for us in the long run."

Said Tony Allen, "The focus has been so much on Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen. So us guys coming off the bench are nothing but attributes to the team."

Wizards All-Star forward Caron Butler missed last night's game because of a left hip flexor strain. If he cannot play in Sunday's All-Star Game, Celtics guard Ray Allen and Orlando forward Hedo Turkoglu are expected to be among the candidates to replace him. Allen was a replacement on the West All-Star team last season with Seattle and has said he would have no problem being a replacement again . . . Garnett is expected to miss his eighth straight game tonight at Indiana, and it's still uncertain when he'll return. He was expected to take a light role in practice yesterday before it was canceled because of the injury woes . . . Perkins is expected to miss tonight's game with his shoulder injury but hopes to return before the All-Star break.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/2008/02/d_up.html

'D', up
Email|Link|Comments (0) Posted by Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff February 11, 2008 06:21 PM
The defense rests. Or in this case, it hasn’t.

Earlier this season, I asked Warriors coach Don Nelson why he thought the Celtics had improved so dramatically on defense from one year to the next. He gave a two word answer: “Kevin Garnett.”

When pressed about schemes, cohesive play, and coaching techniques, Nelly balked. It was all because of KG, he said.

The stats from the last seven games don’t seem to back up the veteran coach.

For the season, the Celtics are holding opponents to 89 points per game on 42 percent shooting. In seven games without Garnett, opponents are shooting 43 percent against the Celtics, while scoring 94 points per game. Opponents are scoring more, to be sure, but consider there were games against the Magic, Mavericks, Cavs, and Spurs in that stretch. The Cavs were the only opponent to shoot 50 percent.

Coaches around the league have noticed the difference in this year's Celtics.

“They didn’t let us execute (down the stretch),” Pistons coach Flip Saunders said after his team was held to 87 points, albeit in a win, during a game in December.

After the Celtics ran away from Milwaukee for a 104-82 win earlier this season, Bucks coach Larry Krystowiak said his team had no answer for the Celtics in the second half.

“I think they just kind of overwhelmed us with that energy,” he said. “And we forced some shots, turned it over, and it ended up with easy baskets for them.”

Garnett is one of the league’s best defensive players, but the addition of reserves James Posey and Glen Davis have aided the defense. Much is made of the Big Three, but Boston’s other two starters, Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo, are primarily known as defensive players. Tony Allen was on a Celtics team that last year allowed opponents to score 99 points per game and shoot 47 percent, but Allen’s specialty is also defense.

Boston’s effort was something ABC’s announcers picked up during Sunday’s broadcast of the Spurs game. With a lineup of Paul Pierce, Eddie House, Brian Scalabrine, Glen Davis, and James Posey on the floor for the Celtics, former Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said that the Knicks can run out similar talent to the lineup the Celtics were employing, but that it was evident the Celtics tried so much harder than New York’s players. Van Gundy, who worked with current Celtics assistant coach Tom Thibodeau in Houston, stressed that Boston’s success wasn’t all about talent.

The addition of the defensive-minded Thibodeau has helped tremendously. Thibodeau’s teams have finished in the Top 10 in team defense 14 times in his 17 seasons on the bench. Celtics players take notice.

“We stress it [defense] a lot, “said Kendrick Perkins. “We have a great defensive coach in [Thibodeau].”

The Celtics will get Garnett back sometime after the All-Star break, and their defense is likely to improve. But even without the future Hall-of-Famer, this Celtics team doesn’t resemble last year’s 24-win bunch. At least not on one end of the court.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.metrowestdailynews.com/sports/x1546024371

Celtics: Team record a reflection of Rivers

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By Scott Souza/Daily News staff
GHS
Mon Feb 11, 2008, 10:04 PM EST

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It's hard to say that Doc Rivers hasn't earned it.

On Sunday, the Celtics coach will walk the sideline in New Orleans as coach of the Eastern Conference All-Stars. Having the best record in the league two weeks ago will be what got him there, and there's no doubt that the dramatic infusion of stars and experience to last year's 24-58 squad helped pave the way.

But the persistent argument by some that a coach's record is merely a result of his roster took a hit over the past two weeks when, even as that roster became rapidly depleted, Rivers continued to make decisions that have resulted in Celtic victories.

Three weeks ago he inserted seldom-used power forward Leon Powe into the rotation to great effect. On Wednesday, he stuck with the bench to bring home the victory against the Clippers on the second night of a back-to-back with a trip to Minnesota awaiting the tiring starters the next day - the Celtics won both games. On Sunday, his decision to put Glen Davis on the Spurs' Tim Duncan for the entire fourth quarter - without helping the rookie out with a double team - wound up being as big a key to that surprising victory as nearly all of Paul Pierce's game-high 35 points.

The coach, whose Xs-and-Os acumen was so criticized for two years, has found a way to make the connections for a 5-2 record in seven games without Kevin Garnett.

Perhaps no performance was more impressive this season - from a coaching and team standpoint - than Sunday's 98-90 victory over the defending champion Spurs with the team's only three players taller than 6-foot-8 (Garnett, Kendrick Perkins, Scot Pollard) all essentially out of action against one of the best frontcourt players of all-time.

"I'm sure going into the game most people thought we were going to trap Duncan every single time," Rivers said after the game. "The way he's passing now, I didn't think we could win the game that way either."

When the Celtics did trap in the fourth quarter with James Posey, Duncan did pick them apart with passes out of the double team. So the strategy by and large not to trap, albeit risky and perhaps aided by a little bit of luck, worked.

Not that the supremely confident Rivers didn't implement similar strategies the past two years that failed. But the way this year's squad has built a 39-9 record going into tonight's game at Indiana (CSN, 7 p.m.), through his caution resting injured players and judicious use of practice time, shows how good a feel he's developed for this roster.

The feel has perhaps shown up most impressively with the player he has been around the longest. With Garnett and Perkins both out Sunday, Pierce was expected to take more of the offensive load. He certainly did with the game-high 35 points. But all those points came on just 18 shots (12 makes, 5 treys) as the captain showed restraint despite the hot hand in the first quarter and throughout the second half.

"It's easy, man," said Pierce of the discipline. "I trust the system. I trust that the ball - if I swing it, or set picks, or move without the ball - the ball's going to come back and I am going to take the shots that are available for me."

In the final two minutes Sunday, after a Manu Ginobili basket cut a 10-point Spurs deficit down to two with 1:24 left, Pierce had the ball in his hands out of a timeout. Rather than launch his shot, that trust in the coach's system came through when he found Davis cutting down the lane for what became a foul and pair of free throws.

"We told Paul coming out (of the timeout) that one of the two was going to be open - either it will be you or it will be Baby," Rivers said. "I was proud of Paul that he passed it to him. He's a rookie rolling down the middle of the paint, so sometimes you shoot it anyway. But he trusted his teammate."

Trust and team goals have been the coach's talking points ever since the Celtics went to Europe in the preseason. The way they have continued to win without their emotional leader over the past two weeks is a good indication how much the players have accepted the words as more than just sound bites and T-shirt slogans.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.celticsblog.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2389&Itemid=189

Leon Davis Fills In The Gaps
Written by Jeff
Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Mike Gorman was on Celtics Stuff Live on Sunday and he dubbed the tandem of Leon Powe and Big Baby Davis "Leon Davis." It seems fitting because over the last several games they have taken turns stepping up and filling in where needed.

Leon Powe has been on a torrid pace since Garnett's injury, averaging 11.4 points and 6.7 rebounds in only 23.3 minutes a game. That includes one 25 point, 11 rebound effort against the Miami Heat. He’s one of the most respected human beings on the team because of his story of overcoming adversity and he exudes a quiet determination that earned him the nickname “the Grown Man” in college.

In stark contrast is Glen "Big Baby" Davis, who overflows with emotional energy and is starting to show a flair for the dramatic. He chose the Celtics two biggest games of the season to have the best games of his young career. First he scored 20 points against a very tough Detroit front line (many of which came in the fourth quarter of a close game). Next, he turned in 33 minutes of hard-nosed-disruptive defense against one of the best post players in the game in Tim Duncan.

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Both players are your prototypical undersized power forwards that fell in the draft due to concerns about their height. Powe had injury issues and Davis had weight issues that also caused them to slip, but neither has proven to be a factor so far. Both have used strength and hustle to excel on defense and rebounding and both have a knack for chipping in with buckets when the team needs them most.

As for the height issue, it seems as though they are both taking that in stride as well. For one thing, they can both flat out play basketball. Sounds simple enough, but plenty of players with the build of a traditional NBA center don't have near the amount of basketball coordination that these two have. I love Perkins, but he's not exactly graceful on the offensive end. Contrast that with the way Leon Powe rolls off the screen at the top of the key and finishes with a dunk. Compare it to the way Big Baby drives baseline for a squeeze-it-in-there layup. You never see Perk doing those things.

Of course, that's not to say we don't need Perkins. At the end of the day we are going to need players that can defend taller centers. Davis did an admirable job limiting Duncan, but in a 7 game series a good coach and frontcourt will find ways to take advantage of the height issue. Still, even with Pollard out, the Leon Davis duo has quieted calls to sign a backup center.

Kevin Garnett’s injury has left a gaping hole in the team that cannot be fully filled. Losing Perkins only compounds the issue. However, the tandem of Leon Davis (with some help from James Posey and a sprinkling of Air Intangibles) has performed well enough to patch up that hole for the time being.

That bodes well for the stretch run and the playoffs, because you never know when injuries, foul trouble, or matchups will dictate a need to play one or the other of these guys. They have proven their worth now and will be counted on in the future.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=7360

Rondo Draws Comparisons to Parker

By: Jessica Camerato Last Updated: 2/11/08 1:32 PM ET | 336 times read

Adjust font size:Before taking the court as a member of the Boston Celtics, Kevin Garnett saw something very special in Rajon Rondo. Garnett, after a mere three months with the team, boldly compared the second-year player to two of the league's best point guards. Now, others around the league are catching on.

"I've said that if Rondo's not the best point guard in three, four years, I'd be very, very surprised," Garnett said during training camp. "He has all the tools in which to lead a team. His defense is unlike any other guard I've seen in this league. He has the quickness of a Tony Parker, he has the IQ and passing skills of a Jason Kidd."

On Sunday, Rondo torched Parker's ball club by dishing out 12 assists and grabbing 11 rebounds in an impressive performance. Even though Parker sat out because of an injured ankle, San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich agreed with Garnett.

"I'd include a guy like Devin Harris in that comparison, too," Popovich said. "If you jump up on Devin Harris or Rondo or Tony Parker, they're going by you so everybody sort of backs off of those guys. (They) go under on pick and rolls, and in transition get a few feet ahead of them. They can pull up for shots, that's the conventional wisdom. Tony's gotten better at it and Devin Harris has gotten better at it, and so will Rondo. He'll get better at it. So I think that as the jumpshot improves, he becomes scarier."

By shooting 50% from the field so far this season, Rondo has clearly improved his jumpshot (up from 42% last year). After a summer of relentless hard work, the sophomore point guard welcomes the comparison.

"That means a lot because he's an All Star point guard, so that's a great compliment to have," he said. "I think we're very fast, we wear the same number, and we both play with great big men as well. As far as other game links, he gets to the hole a lot and he's very crafty with the ball. He can finish very well. I think they're trying to say we both do the same thing and a good job at it. I've got a lot to learn, though. I've got a long way to go."

As Rondo continues to develop his game, Celtics head coach Doc Rivers hopes the young point guard will establish his own identity.

"I want Rajon to be Rajon," Rivers said. "I don't want him to be anybody but him. Having said that, if you're going to be someone else [Tony's] not a bad guy to be. Magic, Oscar, there's a lot of guys I'd like him to be but as far as speed and quickness, it probably makes more sense that you'd put those two in the same category."

Rivers added, "What is basically tells you is how far Tony has come, when you think about it. Now players want to be Tony Parker. I'm assuming four or five years ago, they were telling Tony that he wanted to be like Iverson, so that's good for Tony."

Even though he has had a lot of people doubt his talent, Rondo has made big strides in his second season, going from offensive liability to a player to be watched.

"I think he's already exceeded expectations for this season," Popovich said. "I don't know what people thought he might do. I remember reading or seeing things on TV about he can't do it, he's not a point guard, no way, that kind of stuff. Well, obviously there is a way. He's done a hell of a job and he's showing a lot of people to be wrong."

[FLCeltsFan]

www.gloucestertimes.com/pusports/local_story_043003508.html

Celtics deserve our undivided attention

By Bill Burt




They have walked the walk and now it's time for fans — and media — to talk the talk.

As difficult as it still is to believe, the New England Patriots are not walking through that door with the Lombardi Trophy.

Other than a Coco Crisp trade or a catastrophic injury, the Red Sox are, at the very least, a month away from anything of note occurring.

And the Bruins, well, we will get to them at a later date.

From the looks of it, the best news that came out of the pro basketball game at the Garden on Sunday was that the Celtics officially clinched a playoff berth.

That's right, on Feb. 10, the Celtics made the playoffs with their win over the Spurs. The New Jersey Nets, the Eastern Conference's No. 8 seed as of today, would have to go 17-14 over their final 31 games (they are 22-29) and the Celts would have lose them all.

As for the Celtics' 39 wins thus far, that already has surpassed win totals of 11 of the last 14 seasons.

As for the win over the San Antonio Spurs, don't get too excited. Their point guard, the straw that stirs their offense, Tony Parker, was missing. Though they had won four straight before their plane touched down at Logan Airport early Saturday morning, new acquisition Damon Stoudamire is no Parker.

But the fact that the Celtics did show up for this nationally televised Sunday afternoon game without Garnett speaks volumes.

We've come to realize this Celtics team, now 39-9, is as good as any Celtics team over the last two decades. But the most comforting change is that Celtics Pride — yes, with a capital "P" — may be back in vogue a lot quicker than we realized.

And Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said it starts and ends, apparently, with the guy who wasn't even dressed for the game.

"Through osmosis, they've adopted Kevin Garnett's emotion and focus for the game and I think it shows all the way down the line," said Popovich to the San Antonio Express-News. "They don't want to disappoint him, they don't want to make him angry. They just want to go win."

That is a serious compliment. It is also deserved.

The best part of this Celtics run has been the consistency. They have the third best home court record in the NBA (22-4) and the best road record, 17-5, a prerequisite for winning in May and June.

They have taken care of their division at 10-1 and, most impressive of all, they have obliterated the Western Conference at 16-0, beating every team except New Orleans and Phoenix.

Of course, we haven't been paying attention with both eyes or even one eye. The Patriots got and deserved our undivided attention.

The Celtics, though deserve a little more.

They deserve the support they really have not received and are going to need the next two months, with a five-game west coast trip beginning next Tuesday night in Denver and another five-game trip in March, including the Texas trio of San Antonio, Houston and Dallas and another in New Orleans.

It's hard to say how good or great this Celtics team is. They might be somewhere in the middle.

But it should be fun finding out. After about three months of perfection, it's time to talk about reality and right now that's your Boston Celtics.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080212/SPORTS0403/802120373/1247/SPORTS

Teams embracing the power of 3
Star news services
February 12, 2008


The triple-threat trend continues in the NBA.
It seems as though terrific trios are popping up everywhere.
Defending champion San Antonio won the title with three primary scorers: Tim Duncan (19.7 points a game last season), Tony Parker (19.2) and Manu Ginobili (19.2). Nobody else on the team averaged in double figures.
Now more teams are hoping to use the same formula to dethrone the Spurs. This offseason, the Boston Celtics added Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to a roster that included Paul Pierce to form their Big Three. The trio has combined to average 57.6 points a game, and Boston owns the best record in the NBA.
The Orlando Magic added forward Rashard Lewis, who joined center Dwight Howard and forward Hedo Turkoglu. They have led the Magic to the third-best record in the Eastern Conference, and Howard (21.8 points a game) and Turkoglu (19.4) are enjoying the best scoring seasons of their careers.
In the past two weeks, two Western Conference teams have reconfigured their Big Threes. The Los Angeles Lakers traded for 7-footer Pau Gasol, who joins Lamar Odom and Kobe Bryant. The Phoenix Suns' Big Three got even bigger when they swapped 6-7 forward Shawn Marion for 7-1 center Shaquille O'Neal, who teams with point guard Steve Nash and center/forward Amare Stoudemire.
The key to making it work, according to Garnett, is unselfishness. If all three players are worried about getting their shots, things break down. For a Big Three to shine, it takes a team commitment.
Shaq practices

Shaquille O'Neal practiced with the Suns for the first time Monday, showing no sign of the hip injury that has sidelined him since Jan. 21.
"It was different. It was very intense," he said after the one-hour workout. "I learned a lot. Now I can see why they can go at the pace they play at. When you just do short bursts like this, then you can save it all for the game."
Just when he will play in a game remained undecided.
Coach Mike D'Antoni said the Suns will "not rush him back for any reason."
Etc.

Raptors coach Sam Mitchell is taking a leave of absence so that he can fly home to Atlanta following the death of his father-in-law. . . . Former NBA star Latrell Sprewell's home is up for foreclosure and his yacht sold at auction to help pay off the $1.3 million he owes on the boat, according to court filings in Milwaukee. Sprewell, who once turned down a three-year, $21 million contract extension saying, "I've got my family to feed," has apparently fallen on tough times. . . . The Lakers signed C D.J. Mbenga for the rest of the season. . . . Mavericks F Jerry Stackhouse (hamstring) and C Erick Dampier (sprained ankle) missed Monday's game against the 76ers.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080212/SPORTS04/802120376/-1/LOCAL17


Pacers face test against NBA-best Celtics
With Dunleavy questionable, Indiana has even bigger challenge tonight against NBA's top team
By Mike Wells
[e-mail]
February 12, 2008


The Indiana Pacers had their first pleasant film session in a long time Monday. Jim O'Brien didn't spend most of it pointing out broken defensive plays or contested shots on offense.
The Pacers coach replayed their defensive performance from the third and early part of the fourth quarter in their win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Pacers hope, actually need, to play that well defensively, and even better offensively, if they expect to extend their winning streak this week while playing against the Eastern Conference's two best teams -- Boston and Detroit.
The Pacers, winners of consecutive games for the first time in nearly two months, host the Celtics tonight at Conseco Fieldhouse before wrapping up the unofficial halfway point of the season Wednesday at the Pistons.
"With our team, we've shown all year long that every night is a challenge," Mike Dunleavy said. "We've had two good wins and hopefully we can respond the right way starting with Boston coming in. They are an excellent team. It's a matter of us continuing to do what we've done to get us to this point."
The Pacers could be without three starters tonight because Dunleavy is questionable after he suffered a bruised right knee and missed the second half of Saturday's game. Point guard Jamaal Tinsley is out until at least after the All-Star break with a sore left knee, and forward Jermaine O'Neal is out indefinitely with a sore left knee.
Playing the Celtics and Pistons is hard enough, but it's even more problematic when short-handed. The Pacers are 0-4 against them this season.
"Those are the best two teams in the conference, so this is a measuring stick for what we've been working for," Danny Granger said. "We need a challenge like this."
The Celtics, too, will be shorthanded. All-star forward Kevin Garnett has missed the past seven games with an abdominal strain. Boston has been fine without him, going 5-2.
Scoring tonight won't be easy for the Pacers. The Celtics lead the league in fewest points allowed (89), field goal defense (42.1) and 3-point field goal defense (31.7) and they're fourth in forcing turnovers (16.5) per game. Boston held the Pacers to 34.9 percent shooting and forced them into 23 turnovers in its 15-point victory at the Fieldhouse in the middle of November.
"What you are finding out more and more is, teams are going to play the type of defense that we see Boston play on a night in, night out basis," O'Brien said. "If we're getting stops at the other end, it's not too challenging. San Antonio played us at a high level, but we weren't getting stops. We don't have a problem getting into our tempo and our movement if we're defending at the level we can."
The Pacers played their finest 15 minutes of defense in a long time against the Trail Blazers. But Martell Webster and Jarrett Jack are not Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, two explosive scorers. Pierce, who had 35 points against the Spurs on Sunday, scored 31 points in the first meeting against the Pacers.
"They're a formidable basketball team," O'Brien said. "Paul Pierce and Ray Allen can turn it up a notch. . . . It's the same old challenge; playing against a team that has multiple options that can score. We understand who they are and what their record is. We understand how we have to play and what kind of game we have to play to give ourselves the best chance of winning."

[FLCeltsFan]

ledger.southofboston.com/articles/2008/02/12/sports/sports03.txt



SPORTS

Celts’ ‘Big Baby’ is growing up



By MIKE FINE
The Patriot Ledger

Say what you will about Brian Scalabrine, he does have a handle on things happening around him.

When the Boston Celtics’ forward was reminded that both Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins were out of Sunday’s meeting with the San Antonio Spurs, and that he might have to defend Tim Duncan, he said, “You’ve gotta have the Leon-Big Baby muscle, not the Scalabrine muscle.”

Scalabrine was right on. While Leon Powe was hit with early foul trouble and essentially taken out of the game, rookie Glen Davis came in and played the defensive game of his life. Davis muscled Duncan away from the basket, and he did it without much help because the Celtics feared sending a teammate to double-team against such a great passing big man. Davis had shown some flashes of offensive excellence this season, but this was his best overall defensive effort, against a two-time MVP, no less.

“I was prepared,” said Davis, who has been called inconsistent by coach Doc Rivers. “Accepting the challenge, that what it’s all about. You can’t have any excuses because you’re out there. You’ve gotta receive the moment and accept what’s going on right here and when you leave this court you have no excuses, no regrets.”

Davis scored nine points, which was much appreciated, but his eight rebounds and three steals indicated that he gets it. It’s not just about offense. Of course, the youngster hasn’t been accused of not getting it, at least not once he settled in to the job. Davis had slipped to the second round of last June’s draft after his stock had dropped followed two so-so seasons at LSU. He was believed by many to have gotten a little soft, not as intense as he should have been.

As it is, “Big Baby” has a wonderfully good-natured personality, as any Garden visitor can see from his appearances on the jumbo video screen. He’s loose, affable and extroverted off the court (what else would you expect from a 290-pounder nicknamed “Big Baby?”) but he has gotten down to business on the court, much of that because of teammate Kevin Garnett, who has taken young Celtics under his wing and instilled in them a ferocious work ethic.

The playful side is always there, though. Davis said he embraces being called Big Baby. “I was a big baby,” he said. “I was really large as a youngster. I used to play pee wee football, but I was too big and couldn’t play with my age group. I had to play with the older kids and they would pick on me.

“I’m tough now, but I wasn’t so tough back then. The coaches said, ‘Big baby’s crying a lot.’ Then it was like wildfire. I learned to embrace it.”

In fact, his teammates mostly call him “Baby,” but they also know he’s improving steadily, and that his big body is something they can’t replace. “We always need a physical presence to win a game,” he said. “I’m just doing what we have to do to win. I’m playing a role, just trying to do my best to help my team.

“This is the game of basketball. You compete. You don’t worry about what they say, how they feel. You’ve gotta play the game, and that’s what we try to do n play the game the way it’s supposed to be played. We’ve got one ambition in mind, and that’s to try and win a championship.”

When he unexpectedly got out on the court in the first quarter after Powe had picked up two quick fouls, Davis was thinking, “Man, that’s Tim Duncan. It was awe, but then it was like you’ve gotta play. This is the moment where you’ve gotta try to be all you can be. You’ve gotta try to make your place in the NBA guarding one of the best. That’s what it’s all about.”

He disputes the notion that this was his biggest challenge. “No, my biggest challenge is myself, because my biggest challenge is being consistent and seeing how great you can be.”